TANF Policy 03-Contractor Documentation for Training, Employment, and Participation/Performance

Transcription

1 Requirements specified for performance goal attainment in the Contract/Agreement must be met before performance recognition can be requested. Documentation substantiating performance and actual training must be available upon request. I. The following general documentation criteria exists: A. All Documentation will be maintained in case files. B. Documentation for payment points when achieved will be attached to the Payment Point Employment/Training Verification/Summary form (Attachment V) in the case file B. When documentation other than pay stubs is used, documentation that contains a live signature and date ( s & faxes will be accepted) is the best and preferred type of documentation. Generally it will include the signature of the client and the signature of the person who can best verify the participation i.e. trainer or employer. C. Items must be documented by the verification by two sources except in the following circumstances. If the exception is clearly stated in the contract/agreement, or If the exception is specifically established in this procedure. All activities other than unsubsidized employment will first be found within the individuals ISS. The ISS will include responsibilities of the contractor and participant, items to be accomplished, scheduled review dates & timeframes for completion. The ISS is a live document and should be updated to reflect any changes in activity. Training will be documented (whether provided by the contractor or another trainer). In addition to the requirements specified in Section I and the documentation of participation specified in II (B), the following will also be required: Evidence of training participation (when training is provided by the TANF contractor) Evidence of satisfactory progress, and competency/credential attainment Participation hours for Vocational Education (not to exceed 12 months), Job Skills Training Directly Related to Employment, or Education Directly related to Employment participation may include unsupervised study time. Rules regarding unsupervised study and Delaware s Bleven s law are found in TANF Policy 20. In addition to the documentation required in section II, on day 1 of each employment/training placement, the following is required (Attachment XI): Date Verification Accomplished Employer/Trainer (name, address, telephone number) Date Employment/Training Began Page 1

2 Position/Type of Training Hours Weekly Anticipated Duration Hourly Wage Signature of Individual completing the form Source of Information (if different than the individual who signs the document) II Acceptable Activities & Acceptable Documentation Core Services: Vocational educational training (Time Sheet Attached) weekly approved time sheet documenting attendance signed and dated by the Trainer and the participant. On-line education hours must be documented and verified by the school and the client. In the event that the actual hours cannot be documented the client will be required to submit samples of work they did during the week. The contractor must request and receive approval in writing to enter countable hours in this case. In the case of on-line training (whether a complete course or a portion of the course) when a trainer signature is not available the contractor will certify the hours of participation in place of the trainer utilizing the timesheet attached. In this case the contractor is certifying the reasonableness of the hours reported based on the supporting documentation of participation. In the column with the heading Instructor Initials the contractor will enter on-line and the contractor will sign on the line for Training/Education signature. In addition the contractor will attach the following to the timesheet: A copy of the tracking record provided by the institution for the period in question. A Sample of the work performed by the client. Breaks in Training Breaks scheduled by the trainer, as part of the normal training program. are permitted for up to 14 calendar days. For breaks over 14 calendar day, clients must participate in another countable activity. For the 14 day period hours will be counted as Vocational Education. No more than three breaks in a 12 month period of training are permitted Subsidized or Unsubsidized Employment a copy of the pay stub (Contractors may use other employer-issued documentation or weekly attendance signed by the employer and client after a single pay stub has been collected or with the approval of DET). Work Experience (Time Sheet & Work Experience Agreement Attached). The approved weekly Work Experience Time Sheet signed and dated by the work site supervisor and the participant, work site agreement & evidence of worksite monitoring. A new work site is required whenever there is a change, for example, if an extension is requested at the site a new agreement must be obtained and the approving the extension must be put in the file. Job Search and Job Readiness Assistance (Time Sheet Attached) Page 2

3 Non-Core: A weekly time sheet for all class activities (Attachment IV). A weekly time sheet for all activities competed by the participant outside of direct supervision which in addition to the required signatures clearly identifies that the time sheet has been reviewed in light of the documented completed activities and determined to be reasonable. (Attachment IX) Note: on-line applications completed in a location other than on-site, an employer (when the employer provides documentation of the actual time spent) or a partner agency have a maximum value of 15 minutes and requires an electronic confirmation of submission. DET may waive at its sole discretion the requirement for an electronic confirmation Activities may be completed at a partner agency. A partner agency for the purpose allowing actual time for on-line applications of documenting activity hours is defined as an agency that provides employment and training services such as the Division of Employment and Training or the Job Centers of the Delaware Libraries. (In no case will a work experience site be considered a partner agency for this purpose.) In order for a contractor to use a partner agency for activity hours, the contractor will: have an written agreement with the partner agency outlining each parties responsibilities Inform the agency who the client is that they are being asked to serve. Child Care for an individual participating in a community service program a copy of the hours of participation signed by the community agency for the client who participated and the client. Job skills training directly related to employment (Time Sheet Attached) weekly attendance signed and dated by the Trainer and the participant. Education directly related to employment (Time Sheet Attached) weekly attendance signed and dated by the Trainer and the participant. Satisfactory attendance at secondary school or in a GED program (Time Sheet Attached) weekly attendance signed by the Trainer and the participant. III. Other documentation items: A. The use of signatures obtained prior to the date of the documented performance event is forbidden. In the event that documentation for any activity is dated prior to the end of the week, only the hours on the time sheet prior to the date will be accepted and the hours after the date will not count. B. Supervised Study Hours/ Supervised Homework Students who are entitled to study hours in TANF Policy 20 that the contractor wants to count additional study beyond the number identified are subject to the following: Page 3

4 Additional study hours must be documented. In order to count additional study hours, all study hours must be documented. The process follows: No less frequently than weekly, the case manager or contractor will review the supervised homework timesheet submitted by the client (Form Attached). They will then review the homework assigned, completed products, comprehension of assigned readings and time spent on the work. The signature on the timesheet by contractor or training programs will indicate that the timesheet has been determined reasonable. Progress will also be regularly assessed through graded products, grades and discussions with the educational institution. Homework time must be supervised and our procedures for supervision are: the acceptable homework process will be stipulated in the Individual Service Strategy (ISS) plan; clients will be contacted at least weekly and homework assignments and work completed will be reviewed; clients will provide a time sheet (Form Attached) documenting their hours spent on study/homework; Clients/contractors will obtain a weekly report from the training institution advising whether the student is regularly attending classes and whether they are performing satisfactorily. The weekly report will specifically collect information on whether the student turned in assignments that were due. C. Check Stubs Only check stubs that meet the minimum requirements are acceptable as stand-alone documentation for participation hours. Other pay stubs can be used but they must be combined with other employer issued information that clearly identifies the employer as well as participation hours. Acceptable check stubs will at a minimum have the following: Name and address of the employer Pay period begin and end dates Date of pay Comprehensive withholding information Year to date pay information (unless multiple pay stubs are used) D. Excuse Absences - When an employer paid leave policy is in effect, any paid absence is a countable hour. In cases where an employer paid leave policy is not in effect, excused absences are available to the participant. These excused absences are covered by TANF Policy 26. IV. Data Entry Page 4

5 Attachments TANF Policy 03-Contractor Documentation for Training, Employment, and A. In addition to the collection previously established documentation for performance/performance payment points, activity hours must be entered into DCISII E&T subsystem according to the Division of Social Services Standard for the Federal reporting of activity hours and the Department of Labor Internet Reporting System for a week of participation to count. Entry will be done as soon as documentation supports data entry (expected to be complete within one week of the end of a payment period or week) B. Documentation that hours have been entered into DOL/DCIS will be the entry of hours on the Division of Employment & Training Payment Point Verification form. These sheets will be compared regularly on a sample basis for consistency with actual DOL/DCIS entry. C. Failure to maintain 100% accuracy will result in requested payments being disallowed, and may, at the discretion of DET, result in the contractor being required to print the DCIS table(s) of hours to support each performance item, additional audit and questioned costs. It is expected that DCIS II E&T system hours match DOL Internet Site hours. However, as detailed in TANF Policy 17, an exception to that expectation is when JSJR hours occur in a 5 th consecutive week. In this case, the actual amount of JSJR hours are to be entered in DCIS II in any fifth consecutive week, but 0 should be entered in DOL in any fifth consecutive week. Attachment I Attachment II Attachment III Attachment IV Attachment V Attachment VI Attachment VII Attachment VIII TANF 03 KAJ Welfare Payment Point Verification Forms TANF 03 EC Welfare Payment Point Verification Forms Time Sheet for Vocational Education, Job Skills Training Directly Related to Employment, Education Directly related to Employment, or Satisfactory attendance at secondary school or in a GED program Time Sheet for Job Search & Job Readiness Assistance Verification of Employment/Training Additional Study Hours Sheet Work Experience Agreement Work Experience Time Sheet Attachment IX JSJR Time Sheet for Job Search (Page 1 & 2) Attachment X Work Experience Bi-Weekly Monitoring Form Page 5

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